Combined multi-unit mail box and magazine receptacle



Nov. 15, 1960 slMoN 2,960,265

COMBINED MULTI-UNIT MAIL. BOX AND MAGAZINE RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 10,1958 IN V EN TOR.

.SMJA/Ey 5/440 2,960,265 Patented Nov. l5, i960 ice CONIBINED MULTLUNITMAIL BOX AND MAGAZINE RECEPTACLE Sidney Simon, 8324 Graham 'Ave., LosAngeles 1, Calif. Filed Dec. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 779,395

1 Claim. (Cl. 232-25) This invention relates to an improved multi-unitmail box having in combination therewith a separate open receptacleparticularly adapted to have deposited therein by a mailman articles toolarge or bulky to be placed in individual mail boxes or compartments.

Inconvenience and annoyance has frequently resulted in the past byreason of wrapped periodicals or the rel atively large and bulky itemsbeing inserted in individual mail boxes making it extremely inconvenientand difiicult to extricate them due to the small size and capacity ofthe individual boxes. This has occurred in instances where the mailmanhas had no other convenient place to deposit such articles. Sucharticles might be placed to a limited extent on top of the mail boxwhere that is possible but with modern flush mounted types of mail boxesWhere theyare recessed into a wall, even that place of deposit is notavailable to the mailman. Without a suitable place of deposit of sucharticles they may be simply dropped on the floor and may be thrown outby maintenance personnel or otherwise lost and not delivered to theaddressee.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the foregoing describeddeficiencies and inconveniences and to provide a combined multi-unitmail box and receptacle for relatively large and bulky articles offeringthe maximum convenience of deposit of incoming mail to the mailman andto box owners as well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined multi-unit mailbox and magazine receptacle wherein individual locked boxes are providedhaving means for access to all of the boxes to the mailman and combinedtherewith a receptacle immediately below the individual boxes positionedto accommodate the deposit of larger and more bulky items which cannotbe conveniently deposited in individual boxes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiunit mail box as inthe foregoing object having a peripheral flange adapting it for flushmounting, having an intermediate transverse member forming a floor forindividual locked boxes which are accessible to a mailman and having afront panel at the bottom spaced below the floor of the individual boxesto provide an open receptacle directly below the boxes adapted toreceive the deposit of larger articles such as magazines.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description and annexed drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the box of Fig. 2 withthe doors in open position.

Referring now more particularly to the various figures of the drawings,numeral designates generally the multi-unit mail box of the invention.The box is of the type adapted to be flush mounted in a recess in a wall11 as may be seen in Fig. 2. The box has a top wall 12,

a back wall 13 and a bottom wall 14. Around the front of the box is aperipheral flange as indicated at 16. The box may be of sheet metalconstruction using sheet metal of suitable gauge and its parts may befabricated by any suitable means, such as by welding or riveting. Thetop, bottom and sides of the box have outwardly extending short flangesas shown at 18 in Fig. 2 and the peripheral flange 16 which flush mountsthe box in the recess in the wall is suitably attached to the flanges 18as for example by welding. The figures shown in the drawings are madeslightly diagrammatic as will be understood by those skilled in the art.The outer edges of the peripheral flange 16 may have a slight inwardturn or curl if desired forming a rib at the edge of the flange.

At an intermediate point between the top and bottom of the box is atransverse member 20 which forms a floor for a group of individualcompartments or mail boxes. The member 20 at the front and back has downwardly turned flanges as shown and it is secured to the back wall 13 bysuitable means and at the front it is secured to a transverse rib ormember 22 which extends between the sidewalls of the box and is flushwith the peripheral flange 16. The member 22 is relatively narrow andhas an inturned flange portion 23 at the top of an opening 24 in thefront of the box.

Numeral 26 designates a plurality of vertical partitions within the boxwhich upstand from the floor member 20 and provide individualcompartments or mail boxes. Each of the individual boxes has its owndoor provided with a lock as designated by way of example at 27. All ofthese doors are hinged on a hinge pin 28 which extends transverselyacross the front of the multiunit box at a point spaced intermediate thetop and transverse member 22. The hinge pin 28 is mounted in suitableopenings formed at the sides of the box in the sidewalls thereof. Eachof the doors 27 has tabs as indicated at 30 at the upper part which arewrapped around the hinge pin 28 to form the hinge for the door whichswings outwardlyto open.

Numeral 33 designates a larger door above the individual mail boxeswhich is also hinged to the hinge pin 28, the hinge being a piano typehinge. The door 33 closes the front of the box above the individualcompartments or boxes 27 and provides access to all of them by way ofthe spaces between the upper part of the partitions 26. The multi-unitmail box is of the type adapted for use for example in an apartmentbuilding, each tenant having one of the individual boxes and having thekey therefor and the mailman having the key for and having access to thedoor 33. The door 33 is provided with a lock 34, the lock member ofwhich 35 co operates with an opening in the top .12 of the multi-unitbox as may be seen in Fig. 2.

The door 33 opens outwardly about the hinge pin 28 as may be seen inFig. 3 and the amount of its opening is limited by a pair of bracketsone at each side of the door. One of these brackets may be seen at 36 inFig. 2 having a portion 37 attached to the door 33 by suitable means andhaving a shoulder or car portion 33 below the hinge pin 28 whichcooperates with a stop member 45 attached to a sidewall of the box. Ascan be seen in Fig. 3 when the door 33 is opened to a predeterminedangle further opening is stopped by engagement of the shoulder 38 withthe stops or pins 40. The brackets 36 with shoulders 38 and the stopmembers 40 provide a strong and durable means for holding the commondoor 33 in the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the mailman canconveniently see into the mail box and at the same time can see thenames on the individual doors 27. At the same time, access can bereadily had to the receptacle at the bottom of the box.

Numeral -42 designates a front panel which extends across the bottom ofthe front of the box as may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The panel 42 maybe held in position byway of having its end and bottom edges insertedbetween the peripheral flange 16 and the flanges 18 and may be welded orotherwise secured thereto. The panel has suitable openings as shown at43 forming a pleasing artistic design and appearance. The panel 42 hasan inwardly extending flange 45 atthe top having a downwardly turnedportion as shown this flange being adjacent the opening 24 formedbetween the panel 42 and the transverse member 22.

In the use of the multi-unit mail box and combined receptacle asexplained above individual tenants have access to their individual boxesor compartments 2,7 and the mailman having access to door 33 can depositmail in each of the individual boxes. The panel 42 at the bottom of thebox provides a convenient receptacle facilitating the leaving anddepositing bythe mailman of relatively large or bulky articles orobjects which could not be conveniently deposited in individual boxes.The arrangement provides maximum convenience since the magazinereceptacle is immediately below the individual boxes minimizing theeifort required in delivering.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of theinvention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than alimiting sense. It is to be understood that various modifications andalternatives may occur to and be adopted by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is tobe accorded the full breadth of the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

A unitary multi-unit mail box having a peripheral front boundary flangeadapting it for flush mounting in a wall or the like, a plurality ofvertical spaced partitions in said box extending downwardly from the topthereof, means defining a bottom for each individual compartment for-medby said partitions, a door for each of the individual compartments, atransverse hinge pin extending across the front of said box below thetop thereof having all of said doors for the individual compartmentshinged thereto, a common door hinged to said transverse pin adapted toclose the front of said box above said individual compartments wherebyaccess may be had to all of said individual compartments byopening saidcommon door, a pair of stop brackets on the inside of said common door,and stop pins on inner side walls of the said box, said stop bracketshaving shoulders engageable with the stop pins to hold the said commondoor in an open position slanted upwardly from the horizontal in aposition allowing easy visibility of the doors of the individualcompartments, said box further defining a receptacle within said boxadjacent said compartments having a forwardly open access opening spacedfrom said individual compartments, a panel extending across a frontportion of the box within said peripheral flange and across the lowerportion of said receptacle, the upper edge of said panel defining thelower'edge of said access opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS KeilMay 1, 1934

